I normally don’t comment on such things, preferring that people try and figure things out for themselves. I am also hesitant to create dogma, and Pat Zalewski is absolutely right in saying that there are multiple layers, and there is often more than one way to skin the cat. I wish to illustrate this by providing my view, which has changed over the years. However I was taught not to change the O’s Rituals (and thus diagrams) to suit my logic, but to leave such things as is and to seek their meaning in the fullness of time. This is not a criticism of others, but more a reflection of Fiat Lux’s approach to training students.
Back in the 1980’s I made for myself a Cubical Cross as a part of my Theoricus studies. Initially I painted (painstakingly) it white with black lettering, but on showing F.L. he indicated it was actually black with white lettering! I had to redo it (see photos) which doubled my attention on this particular symbol. The “version” I was given was the same as issued in the original GD diagram (see diagram provided by Dr. Tony Fuller), with the exception that Tau was place at the bottom rather than Beth, which was at the top on my copy.
When folded up to form the Cubical Cross, with this particular layout, the Aleph and Tau are on either side of the cross, in the respective central squares, and represent the Alpha and Omega, or rather the Aleph and Tau of the Hebrews – Ath (Eth), which appears in Genesis 1:1, is the only untranslated word, hinting at a mystery. This word Ath appears only 22 times in the Old Testament…I have taken it to represent “essence”, or the key word of the 22 letters of creation, the indwelling Spirit of God.
The Three Mother Letters have Shin above, Air in the middle, and Mem below, which relates to Chapter 3 of The Sepher Yetzirah – “The Three Mothers are Aleph, Mem, Shin; and in the beginning as to the Macrocosm the Heavens [above] were created from Fire; the Earth [below] from primeval Water; and the Air was formed from the Spirit, which stands alone in the midst [middle], and is the Mediator between them.”
On either side of the Three Mother Letters is Gimel and Resh, the Moon and the Sun of the Alchemists. They also represent in this context the three Pillars – Gimel and the Black Pillar, Resh and the White Pillar, and Aleph the Middle Pillar.
On the other side the letters are placed so that a cross (with Tau at the centre) is formed in the order (minus Gimel and Resh) as given in the Sepher Yetzirah – Beth down to Daleth, then from the left and Kaph to the right and Peh. Alternatively they form a clockwise spiral in the order of the distance from Sol, from the innermost planet Mercury (Beth – top), to Venus (Daleth – bottom), Mars (Peh – right), Jupiter (Kaph – left) and Saturn (Tau – centre).
The 12 Simple Letters, representing the Zodiac, run around the edges of the Cubical Cross in an anti-clockwise fashion, with the fixed signs or Kerubs at the extreme (ends) of the cross arms. These relate to the 4 Kerubic challenges that occur in the 32 Path of the 2=9.
The diligent student should experiment with the layout of the Cubical Cross, taking private notes, but not discussing these with others, nor marking up or changing the original diagram. This personal work is important in exercising intuition, but care must be taken that these private workings do not become someone else’s dogma – Silence is a tool that should be used liberally when dealing with the Mysteries.
Kasmillos
Edit: Tau occupying the central square opposite to Aleph takes on further meaning when consideration is given to Aleph-Tau translating as “Air” “Cross”.
